Bahrain recently held the Global Entrepreneurship Congress back in April 2019, where it gathered thousands of entrepreneurs, investors, policymakers and researchers from more than 170 countries. Organized by the Global Entrepreneurship Network, and Tamkeen, the GEC was held to discuss important topics related to entrepreneurship and startups.
Not only that, but Tamkeen has also initiated the steps to launch the GEN chapter right here in Bahrain to strengthen Bahrain’s ecosystem and increase the participation of entrepreneurs. But what does that mean, and how is the GEN chapter important to Bahrain’s development and economic growth?
We sat down with Esam Hammad, Tamkeen’s Director of Partnerships & Customer Engagement, and GEN Bahrain representative where he gave us an insight on GEN Bahrain and its significance to the Kingdom. Here’s everything you need to know:
GEN operates as a non-profit entity and focuses on:
- Aligning major entrepreneurial ecosystem actors to streamline efforts, and maximize impact and outcome
- Serving as a source and sharing platform of knowledge, including national and global research data and analysis about program performance
- Strengthen the strategic plans of the current actors and their current roles, seeking to complement and enhance their efforts and funding
- Amplify the Bahrain entrepreneurial ecosystem voice on the global stage for research and policy and programs
As the main founder of the Chapter, Tamkeen will be representing GEN Bahrain.
Since Tamkeen is heavily involved in building Bahrain’s ecosystem, Esam tells us that the organization will have a direct representation in the chapter, and will directly contribute to running the operations. “As a co-host to the Global Entrepreneurship Congress, Tamkeen has built strong relationships with the network over the last two years, and its role will be instrumental in kick-starting the chapter and sustaining its activities in the short and long run,” he shares.
GEN has emerged as a trusted partner to both national governments and key private sector organizations working to foster entrepreneurial growth.
According to Esam, GEN Bahrain will be an integral member of the wider network—connecting leading organizations and talented peers who possess deep reserves of knowledge and experience concerning what works and what does not when it comes to fostering and supporting entrepreneurs.
GEN is all about empowering Bahrain’s startup ecosystem.
“GEN Bahrain aims to strengthen the strategic plans of the stakeholders in our ecosystem, seeking to complement and enhance their efforts through collaboration and connecting with international platforms,” Esam states. With representations from a number of key organizations that are integral to Bahrain’s startup ecosystem, the GEN chapter will help align plans and streamline the efforts of the community minimizing overlap, and maximizing impact and outcomes.
GEN Bahrain will be part of a much larger network.
Esam tells us that the GEN chapter it will serve as a platform where sources and knowledge will be shared, such as national and global research data, and analysis about program performance. “It is important for us at this stage to clearly identify the market gaps that we wish to address,” Esam shares. “We have access to local and international assessments of our market, which would be instrumental in developing an action plan to intervene in the most effective manner,” he adds.
GEN Bahrain will take part in hosting community events.
Such events include the Global Entrepreneurship Week (GEW), held every year to celebrate entrepreneurship. “It will be one of the major activities to be planned by the GEN chapter this year,” Esam says referring to GEW, adding that they will be building on the success of previous editions to introduce topics and themes that the Bahraini markets need.
“GEN Bahrain will also continue to host community events such as the Startup Huddle, to build knowledge and broaden the horizons of entrepreneurs through a very intimate setting,” Esam shares. Startup Huddle is a GEN program designed to help entrepreneurs, whereby early-stage startups give a six-minute presentation about their company to a diverse audience, followed by a 20-minute Q&A session where the audience can assist the entrepreneurs with their challenges, and provide ideas, connections, and feedback.
Are you as excited as we are about GEN Bahrain? Because we surely can’t wait for these upcoming activities!
Make sure you follow Tamkeen on Instagram, Twitter, Facebook, and LinkedIn to be up to date with their future announcements and events about GEN Bahrain.